This is how it starts: you feel bad seeing the robot "dog" get kicked, and the next thing you know it's nipping at your heels, pushing you back to work. Instead of using the film and TV trope to illustrate how morally bankrupt a villain is though, Boston Dynamics employs it to show off Spot's (its latest quadruped) ability to self-stabilize. The bot appears considerably more lithe than the AlphaDog it races up a hill, and can even roam in a tight pack with another unit. And unlike the diminutive Little Dog, Spot has a sensor-laden "head" that Boston Dynamics says helps it conquer a variety of ground cover.
Since Google's newest bot gets its power via electricity and hydraulics move its fancy feet, that seems a likely explanation for why it's relatively silent compared to its bigger counterparts. Exactly where Spot fits into Boston Dynamics' larger ecosystem in terms of application, however, isn't readily apparent, but at 160 pounds, it could be the team's most capable development yet.
Filed under: Robots, Alt, Google
Source: Boston Dynamics (YouTube)
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